MLB Player News

Manager Brad Ausmus said Thursday that Ohtani (elbow) will begin a throwing program "on the soon side," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ausmus' comments aren't all that specific, but at the very least, Ohtani looks poised to play catch before the Angels break camp. Once that happens, Ausmus noted that Ohtani will decrease his volume of swings, which could affect when he's ready to make his season debut as a designated hitter. Ohtani, who has been limited to hitting soft toss at this stage of his recovery, is said to be targeting a return from the injured list in early May.

Brantley went hitless in two at-bats Wednesday against the Marlins.

Manager AJ Hinch deployed what looked like an Opening Day lineup, which had Brantley, a left-handed batter, hitting fourth behind George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman (back) and ahead of Carlos Correa. "I do want him in the middle of all those righthanded hitters somewhere," Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "And whether that falls ahead or behind of any of these guys, that's what I'm looking at this spring. I just want him up to bat with some traffic and somebody behind him that's a threat that can keep the line moving." A left-handed presence was missing from the middle of Houston's order last season, which is a main reason the Astros signed Brantley during the offseason. His excellent contact rate (9.5 K%) is a bonus, though it should also enable him to pile up a lot of RBI if he sticks in the heart of the order.

Martinez has gone 0-for-7 with a walk and a run scored in three spring games.

Slow starts to spring training are nothing new for hitters and Martinez is no exception. "Everything's moving fast still," Martinez told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald after facing the Nationals' Max Scherzer on Tuesday. "It's one of those things. I always say all the time I'm not a good spring training hitter, I don't know, it's that way for me, it takes me awhile to get right. Once I start slowing the ball down something clicks and I'm like 'Oh crap, OK wait, I've got something here.' " The slugging outfielder/DH is looking forward to the repetition of playing games on consecutive days, so that he can get his timing down. Once Martinez got his timing down last spring, there was no stopping him. He finished fourth in voting for AL MVP after posting a 1.031 OPS (3rd in MLB).

Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Jimenez belted his first homer of the spring and made a nice diving catch in left field. The White Sox's top prospect is hitting just .176 (3-for-17), but his spring performance will not alter the organization's plans to have him up at some point in April to play every day in left.

The Padres assigned Dickerson (elbow) to their minor-league camp Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Dickerson hasn't appeared in a regular-season game at any level since 2016, with back surgery sidelining him in 2017 and Tommy John surgery keeping him out in 2018. The 28-year-old reported to spring training at full strength and went 1-for-4 while appearing in three Cactus League contests, but his dearth of action the past two seasons always made cracking the Padres' Opening Day roster an unlikely proposition. He'll need to stay healthy and perform effectively at Triple-A El Paso for an extended period before earning a look in San Diego at any point in 2019.

Harper will make his Grapefruit League debut for the Phillies on Saturday against Toronto, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper's protracted contract negotiations will wind up costing him a large chunk of spring training, but he'll still be able to return to game action nearly three weeks before Opening Day. It's possible that the loss of time will lead to a slow April for Harper, though different players need different amounts of time to get up to speed. Harper has historically started the season hot, with his .309/.436/.619 career line in March and April easily representing his best OPS (1.055) of any month over the course of his career.

Choi, who walked twice and scored two runs over three plate appearances in Sunday's 10-4 Grapefruit League win over the Pirates, is one of three players expected to see time at first base during the regular season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe are also capable of manning first, and the expectation is that manager Kevin Cash will make his playing time decisions based on matchups. Choi will also log time at designated hitter, a role in which he slashed .253/.350/.483 with nine home runs and 27 RBI last season. Choi's 24.9 percent strikeout rate and 71 percent contact rate in 2018 both left plenty of room for improvement, but his .242 ISO across 221 plate appearances represented an encouraging spike, especially when considering the relatively substantial sample size.

Cabrera went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

Cabrera did plenty of damage before getting replaced defensively in the sixth inning, as he clubbed his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot off Atlanta reliever Jacob Webb. The veteran slugger is coming off an injury-shortened 2018, so it will be interesting to watch him in the early going to see if he's fully recovered from his ruptured biceps. The Tigers may choose to slowly ramp up the 35-year-old.

Martinez will make his spring debut Saturday, according to Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com.

The Red Sox have taken it easy with Martinez thus far this spring, but he is ready to see his first action of 2019. Martinez will serve as Boston's designated hitter and hit cleanup Saturday.

Winker hit the second pitch of Friday's spring training game out of the park for his second homer of the spring. Before the game, he mentioned how his shoulder felt stronger, and how he was able to lift the ball with authority, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Winker is part of the Reds' leadoff picture, depending on who makes the team (don't worry, he's making the team -- it's just a question of whether Nick Senzel will also be there) and is in the lineup on a given night. Scott Schebler is also an option. "It's just depending on how our roster shapes up," manager David Bell said. "Getting on base is important factor for a leadoff hitter. Those are two guys who can do that."